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Commission holds interviews for accessibility and library boards; appoints Andrea Morrow to accessibility advisory board
Summary
The commission conducted interviews for openings on the Accessibility Advisory Board and the Library Board, interviewed multiple candidates and appointed Andrea Morrow to the Accessibility Advisory Board; decisions on remaining seats were tabled for a future meeting.
The Ottawa City Commission interviewed candidates on April 23 for openings on the Accessibility Advisory Board and the Library Board and confirmed one appointment while tabling other choices for a later date.
City staff introduced candidates for the Accessibility Advisory Board and the Library Board. Commissioners interviewed Kelly Whitaker, who described her 10 years as an Ottawa resident, experience as a former special education teacher and current role as principal at Ottawa High School, and said she would "come to the table as a listener and a learner" on accessibility priorities. The commission noted prior interviews for two other accessibility-board candidates held April 16; those applicants were part of the same selection process for two seats.
Later in the meeting commissioners discussed their preferences and moved to appoint Andrea Morrow (interviewed April 16) to one of the two vacancies on the Accessibility Advisory Board. A motion to appoint Andrea Morrow passed by voice vote; the commission also agreed to wait for an absent commissioner’s input before filling the second seat.
The commission also held interviews for three applicants for one library-board vacancy. Candidates who spoke at the meeting included Patrice Peoples (who said she previously served on the library board and emphasized youth outreach and space planning), David Tyler (a former library-board member and Northeast Kansas Library System executive-board member), and Joanne Nowatzke (who outlined decades of family library use and volunteer experience). Commissioners praised each applicant’s qualifications and said they wanted to preserve options for the best fit; they did not make a final appointment for the library board during the meeting and agreed to return with votes at a later date.
Commissioners and staff asked practical questions of applicants during the interviews: Kelly Whitaker was asked about city sidewalks, parks and how the accessibility board might analyze budgets and community needs; Patrice Peoples and other library candidates were asked about the library’s outreach, youth programming, space planning and ways to draw middle-school and teen users. Patrice Peoples described library programming that uses gaming, makerspace and outreach to bring students in and cited experience starting similar programs; David Tyler emphasized the library as a meeting place to combat loneliness among older residents; Joanne Nowatzke highlighted volunteering with scouts and the role libraries played in her children’s education.
The commission handled the appointments in two ways: it approved Andrea Morrow to the Accessibility Advisory Board at the meeting and deferred additional appointments for at least one week to allow an absent commissioner to provide input. The library-board vacancy will be scheduled for vote at a future meeting; staff said they would notify applicants when a decision is made.
No formal votes were recorded for the library board during the April 23 meeting. Commissioners asked staff to provide timing for the next open seat so unsuccessful applicants can be notified when future openings occur.
